House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday called the rescue of a U.S. airman in Iran “heroic,” but continued to criticize what he called a “war of choice” with Iran, now in its sixth week.
“I’m thankful that a second U.S. airman has been rescued heroically by our special forces. And we, of course, continue to pray for the safety, the health, the well-being of all of our men and women who are in uniform in a very dangerous theater of war,” Jeffries told ABC News’ “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos. “Donald Trump has gotten us involved in this reckless war of choice without any plan, any strategic objectives, and no clear exit strategy.”
U.S. forces overnight rescued an American airman who was reported missing after an F-15 was shot down by Iran over its territory Friday. President Donald Trump announced just after midnight Sunday that he had been found and was now “safe and sound.” Trump said the airman “sustained injuries, but he will be just fine.” The pilot was rescued on Friday.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., appears on ABC News’ “This Week” on April 5, 2026.
ABC News
Jeffries and most of his party have been staunchly opposed to the war with Iran and criticized the White House’s proposed budget, which would raise defense spending in fiscal year 2027 to $1.5 trillion, a 42% increase from 2026. The Pentagon is also seeking a $200 billion supplemental funding bill from Congress to fund the war.
Jeffries criticized the supplemental request, saying that the war is already costing taxpayers.
“They have more than enough resources, as far as we can tell. in order to do what is necessary at the same period of time, Congress has to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Jeffries said. “This reckless and costly war of choice is increasing the cost of living on everyday Americans, particularly through gas prices.”
Gas prices in the U.S. have shot up to more than $4 per gallon on average since the start of the war after Iran brought oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a halt. Trump has threatened Iran to open the strait or face “hell,” warning of strikes targeting the country’s infrastructure and energy facilities.
Opening up the strait could require U.S. troops on the ground, military experts say, though the Trump administration has not announced any plans for ground forces. Jeffries said he would oppose any troops on the ground.
“The American people are not going to accept ground troops being put into harm’s way in this war of choice, when there’s no clear evidence that it actually is designed to improve our national security interests,” Jeffries said.
The president has also said that countries dependent on oil from the strait, including NATO allies of the U.S., should be responsible for opening it themselves. He has attacked those allies for staying out of the conflict and in recent weeks has floated leaving the alliance altogether. Those comments have already received bipartisan criticism, and Jeffries said he hopes that any attempt to leave NATO, which would require approval from Congress, would be rejected.
“I hope that there will be a bipartisan effort to convince this administration that withdrawing from NATO would be a reckless choice. This is a dangerous world. We need more friends, not more adversaries,” Jeffries said. “We should not walk away from an alliance that has actually kept the world and the United States as safe as possible.”
Here are more highlights from Jeffries’ interview:
On Trump’s executive order restricting mail-in voting
“We’re going to work as hard as we can to make sure that this is a free and fair election. That executive order is unlawful and unconstitutional. We’ve already filed litigation, and we expect that it will be declared so in short order by the courts.”
On his party’s unpopularity ahead of the midterms
“As it relates to the parties being perceived as unfavorable across the country, we understand that dynamic because the American people want to see action. Things haven’t been working out for them over the last several decades. Far too many people are struggling to, to survive and certainly can’t thrive paycheck to paycheck in this country, which should not be happening in the wealthiest country in the history of the world.
“And so we’re going to continue to forcefully push back against the extremism being unleashed on the American people, push back against the chaos, while at the same rate of time, convince every single American that it’s us who are determined to do the things that are necessary, bring about the bold, transformational changes necessary to support working-class Americans, everyday Americans, and middle-class Americans in a manner consistent with who we are when we are the best version of ourselves here in America.”
